Read between the lines
by slythadri
Summary: EWE, OOC, AU. Dramione. This is my response to the story "Freed" by elle311. How does love begin?
1. Read between the lines

A/N this short one-shot was inspired by my FF soul sister elle311 and her sweet story Freed. This is my version of what happened before the events of that tale, here is the link to it.

s/13083448/1/Freed

Hermione Granger loved first Fridays at Flourish and Blotts. It was when the latest books arrived, and she had to convince the owner not to just set them aside for her. She loved walking the stacks and letting the delightful surprises hit her. But that Friday there was one more surprise by the shelves. A very tall, very blonde figure was running his fingers over the spines of the books. He looked lost. Like he was looking for the book that would tell him what to do, what should be next. Hermione approached him slowly, the Gryffindor instinct to rescue others kicking in.

"Hello, Malfoy."

He looked at her, his eyes startled but his face indifferent. He stayed silent. She tried something and offered her hand. He looked at it, face indifferent but eyes glazing up. He took the hand and felt a current of magic curse through him. It required a titanic effort for him to not break down right then and there.

"Granger."

"How are you?"

He wanted to say "stupid question, Granger," but kept a semblance of civility and just shrugged.

She was unfazed.

"I was thinking of getting some coffee to go with my books. Would you like to join me?"

This time he couldn't keep a straight face. No one had ever asked him for coffee. Just to sit down and keep company. He had been invited for tea many times, to the houses of pureblood women of marrying age, and lately, they all tried to use his fallen from grace as leverage to exchange a clean family name for the Malfoy vaults. That's what going for tea meant. But coffee seemed so much simpler…

"Yes, thank you, Granger," he said, an annoying cracking of his voice coming out that he tried to play down by clearing his throat.

They sat at an outdoor café. He couldn't believe she was not concerned by all the attention they were attracting. With all nonchalance, she waved her wand in an obvious privacy spell. There were eyebrows raised everywhere. She couldn't care less. He had seen worst.

After the coffee cups arrived, she finally said

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"About whatever it is eating you up, Malfoy."

He wanted to. But where do you even start? With "everything about my life was a lie," or "turned out the father I wanted to emulate was a complete idiot and he dragged my mother and me on his journey through hell," or "I am nothing but a key to a vault to some ambitious bitches and that's all the value I have left?"

She gestured for him to speak in a way that seemed too pushy so he exploded

"What do you want me to say, Granger, that everything about my life was a lie, or that after a lifetime of aspiring to become my father turned out he was a complete idiot that dragged my mother and me on his journey through hell, or that I am nothing but a key to a vault to some ambitious bitches and that's all the value I have left?"

She lifted an eyebrow and sipped her coffee in a gesture that reminded him of his mother.

"Yes, Draco, that is exactly what I wanted you to say. Muggles say the truth will set you free."

He stared at her and blinked. She called him Draco. his name falling from her mouth was like a prayer, like a lifesaver raft after a ship wreckage. It was like hope amidst the fear and the loneliness. And she wanted the truth. Not the façade, not the Slytherin coolness, not the mask. The truth. But the truth was raw and painful and embarrassing, how could he share it with her, with the girl that he had been nothing but awful to?

And then it happened. She reached over the table and took his hand in hers. Then she cast a wandless disillusionment charm around them.

"You are safe here."

That was the first time that he let his tears fall free.


	2. Walk this way

A/N So it seems I wasn't able to keep this as a one-shot. what can I say? it started itching. The chapters will be very short though. enjoy!

xoxoxo

Draco woke up the next day feeling confused. Did he dream it? Did he dream that Hermione Granger asked him for coffee, made him open up to her, disillusioned him so no one would see him cry and then suggested that he simply apparated home from the table and went to bed?

No, it was not a dream. It really happened. And now he was feeling restless, desperate to see her again. But would she really want to see him again? Or was she just being nice to a former classmate and it was a one-time charity thing? Maybe he could owl her and invite her for…more coffee? How do you even do this? it was not a friendship and it was not a courtship. So how do you manage to spend time with a woman just because you want to?

Before he could get too tight in a knot an owl knocked on his window.

 _Have you ever been to Muggle London?_

 _Would you like to come shopping with me?_

 _HG_

The feeling of relief washed over him. He took a piece of parchment and wrote

 _The Leakey Cauldron in half an hour?_

 _DM_

After he sent the owl back he wished he had asked for only 15 minutes. He was ready in 10 and paced like a caged animal for the next 20 minutes. Finally, when the time came he apparated to the Leakey Cauldron. She was already there and smiled as soon as she saw him. then she made a face and before saying hello pulled him towards a secluded corner booth.

"You can't go to Muggle London like this. I need to transfigure your clothes."

"Hello to you too, Granger."

She laughed, already waving her wand

"Hello, Malfoy, how are you today?" she said while changing his clothes into trousers and a fitted button-up shirt. When she was done she had to bit her lip to not smile. He looked dashing in the fitted clothes.

"I thought we were on a first name basis."

"Oh well, I simply followed your lead. How are you, Draco?"

"I'm good. You look nice, Hermione," he said, kissing her cheek.

She didn't know how to react to that so she said simply

"Shall we?"

They walked out of the Leakey and immediately she had to grab him by the arm and pull him back before he got ran over by a car.

"I think is better if I keep you closer," she said, amused.

He offered his arm and a dashing smile she had never seen before. This was going to be an interesting day.


	3. Eat your heart

"So, Grang…Hermione, how is it that you invite me of all people to go shopping with you?" said Draco with a bit of malice in his grin. Now that he had managed to see her again he was getting greedy. Perhaps she needed to pick up lingerie? But then for whom would it be? Oh, Salazar, stop it, Draco, don't fall down the rabbit hole. Sure there would be no lingerie involved in this day.

"I hate shopping and I don't have any girlfriends that I would like to share the experience with, they would make it overwhelming. You are a boy, so you probably won't pressure me to try on a hundred different things, but also I am pretty sure that you have excellent taste."

He smiled. He had excellent taste indeed. Especially in lingerie. Cut it off, Malfoy, cut it off! Oh, Merlin, she's talking again. What is she saying?

"I'm sorry, say again?"

"I said I'm famished; I did not have breakfast. Would you care from some brunch?"

"That sounds great. Lead the way?"

She smiled and stirred him towards a nice cozy place, a shabby chick hole in the wall type of place that served excellent crepes. It was the kind of place that people in their early twenties like themselves loved, and when they walked in it seemed to be populated exclusively by women, all of them ogling the spectacular platinum blonde man that just walked in. Hermione shook her head. She didn't consider this part of taking a man that looked like Draco Malfoy into the Muggle world. She may have to find her way back home on her own.

The waitress that took their order was the worst one. Blonde, hourglass figured, a regular Marilyn in tight jeans and the lowest V-neck t-shirt Hermione ever saw. The woman behaved like Hermione was not even there, and even had the nerve of bending down to show Draco the specials, pretty much shoving her bosom in his face. He didn't react. If anything, his face went colder. He thanked her and referred to Hermione to make a choice for both of them.

When the food and drinks arrived they were having a great conversation. Hermione had cast a wandless privacy ward that didn't silence them but prevented the muggles around to follow their conversation, which ranged from light post-school gossip to Alchemy principles. She was thrilled. She had a vague notion back in school that Draco was the second best student in school after her, but with all the bulling and bad blood between them she had never seen him as an intelligent person. He was, indeed, quite brilliant. When the check came she tried to take it but he waived her off. As a business man, he was used to carry muggle currency, although truthfully this was his first time using it. He looked at the tab and made a confused face

"What is this? what do you use these numbers for?"

He pointed to the top of the paper piece. There, in handwriting it said

 _Caroline_

 _786-555-9087_

Hermione cracked laughing.

"That's her phone number."

He looked even more confused. When she caught her breath she pulled out her mobile and explained.

"This is a mobile telephone. Muggles use them to talk or write messages, instead of owls. To contact another person, you dial their assigned number and they would talk to you from their own device."

"So I need to contact her using all these numbers just so I can pay the tab?"

She laughed even harder.

"No, silly. It has nothing to do with the tab. She finds you very attractive, so she gave you her number and she we'll wait to see if you call her to ask her on a date."

Draco shook his head

"That is the most uncivilized courting ritual I ever heard of."

Hermione laughed some more, his reaction to the whole thing was hilarious. But also made her felt a bit better. She was feeling pretty uncomfortable with all the women in the place staring at him, let alone the nerve of this waitress to behave like she was not even sitting there.

"Tell me, Granger, isn't it rude that she propositioned me in front of you? shouldn't she assume that I am your escort?"

She smiled

"Yes, that was quite presumptuous of her. She's in a way challenging my ability to keep your interest."

"A duel. I see."

And without another word he moved his seat to her side of the little round table and put his arm over the back of her seat, then instinctively let his fingers play with a lock of her curls.

"Would you say this would discourage her from her attempts?"

Hermione felt her breath caught in her throat. Then both of them looked towards the waitress, who slammed a cleaning rag on the counter and walked towards the kitchen. Draco spoke in her ear, making her shiver

"Maybe it is time for the Muggle world to also learn you do not mess with Hermione Granger."


	4. Can't fight this feeling

Hermione was feeling buzzed when they walked out of the restaurant, grateful they did not serve alcohol. She was dizzy enough with the strange turn of events. Or was it really a strange turn of events? Maybe the dizzying part is that this day was going exactly as her heart desired, except she had been pretending her heart had nothing to do with it.

Less than 24 hours ago she had bumped into Draco Malfoy of all people, and he seemed lost. She took him for coffee, listened to him and after he poured his heart to her and cried his eyes out she suggested he simply go home and sleep. He disapparated and that was the moment that changed everything. As soon as he was gone she was the one feeling lost. She wanted to run after him, but in the magical world, you must have permission to cross the wards of someone else's homes, as addresses were not a thing. So she had no way to physically get to him. and she didn't even know if he would want her to keep chasing him. she tossed and turned for hours and got some restless sleep at the end of the night.

The next day she had plans to go shopping, her usual quarterly trip, once for every season, and she loathed it. She was not good at picking up clothes and was even worst at following advice from other girls. That day when she was getting ready it hit her: she needed a boy to go with her, and obviously Harry or Ron or any other Weasley for that matter would be a terrible idea. But Malfoy, that was a man of impeccable taste. He was also pragmatic, so shopping with him should be a model of efficiency. That's what she told herself when she was writing a note that she would owl to him. thank Merlin for magical owls, they can find anyone.

As soon as she saw him she realized it was not a matter of practicality at all. Plainly, she wanted to see Draco Malfoy again. She wanted to spend time with him. She wanted him to look at her as a woman, not the swotty know-it-all former classmate that went around fixing everyone's problems.

And now, they were walking through Muggle London, her arm laced in his, after the uncomfortable waitress incident. She was trying to take deep breaths without being too obvious. Apparently, she was failing miserably.

"Hermione? Are you ok? Do you need to stop for a minute?" Draco said, stopping concern in his voice.

She felt mortified and stuttered for an answer.

"I…no, I'm fine, I'm just…I…"

Draco looked at her and read the situation correctly. For one, he had been very anxious to see her again, so hopefully, the feeling was mutual and the whole shopping trip was a sham to get them together again. And two, she was not a Slytherin girl, so the waitress incident would probably not cause her to react bitchy and entitled, but cause her to feel disconcerted and insecure. He decided to do something Gryffindor for her and pulled her in inside his arms.

"You look like you could use a hug," he said. This was a most unusual action on his part, but it just felt like the right thing to do and it felt damn good. Fuck it. After the shipwreck that had become his life, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

She automatically nestled herself on his chest, wrapped her arms around his waist and breathed the intoxicating smell of his cologne. It felt like all the pieces of the world fitted perfectly for once. They held each other for a while until he kissed her forehead and said

"Let's go buy you some pretty clothes, pretty girl."

She smiled, her face still buried in his chest.


	5. I want to give you the moon

"Where are we going shopping?" Draco asked.

"There's a department store I usually go to. We can take the tube and be there in"

"Oh for Merlin's sake! Draco rolled his eyes and pulled her to the street. How do you make one of this things stop to take you places?" he said, pointing to the traffic.

She laughed and called a Taxi. They got in and he said

"Bond Street, please."

She gasped

"Draco, that's not where I…"

"Granger, shush. I'm buying today."

"You can't be serious. And how do you even know about Bond Street?"

"I am serious, and I have muggleborns that work for me and I pay them a lot. They shop there. I hear the witches around the office brag every time they go shopping there."

"Hey mate! Said the taxi driver. Is not polite to call the ladies witches, you know? And whatever other names you are calling them."

Draco was about to retort when Hermione gave him a backslap and said

"Apologies, dear sir. My friend had a rough week at work and the stress of running the company gets to him sometimes. But he is a nice lad, I assure you."

"Well he must be if you allow him to escort you, young lady," the old man said with a smile.

Hermione smirked and Draco rolled his eyes but realized his mistake. He went back to nonchalance.

"So as I was saying, Granger, you bought me coffee yesterday, today I'll pick the tab. At Bond Street."

The taxi drive smile wide

"Aye, that's a good lad indeed."

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

They reached their destination and Draco pulled Hermione into one of the beautiful stores.

"I don't even know where to begin," she said when they walked in. A store employee heard that and approached.

"Welcome. Would you be needing a personal shopper today?"

Hermione was about to retort but Draco stood in front of her

"Yes, please. The lady needs a whole wardrobe for the season."

She was about to protest again but Draco waved his hand, casting a wandless silencing spell, while the store employee said

"And would you be requiring a private room?"

"Indeed"

"Champagne?"

"Yes, please."

The employee smiled from ear to ear and went to set up everything. Draco turned around towards a muted, fuming Hermione.

"Yes, Granger, I cast a silencing spell on you before you make this difficult when is supposed to be fun. Now listen to me. What you did for me yesterday is the most valuable, impressive thing anyone has done in years. Maybe the most gratifying moment of my adult life. So please, let me do this for you. I will be honored if you let me do this for you."

Her expression softened immediately. She sighed and signal for him to remove the spell. When she was able to talk again she said.

"I really appreciate it, but this is crazy. Is so over the top and I… I don't know if is right."

He rolled his eyes.

"Hermione, I have so much money that five generations of Malfoys can live without working a day in their lives. And yet until yesterday, I felt like I had nothing. Trust me, this is just a little bit of fun. Indulge me, please?" he said, giving her the Slytherin version of puppy eyes.

She shook her head and smiled, lifting her arms in surrender.

"Fine, you win. Yesterday was my counsel, today is yours."

He gave her a huge, malicious grin.

"This is going to be fun."


	6. The way we were

An elegant, beautiful woman that seemed to be in her fifties approached them, extending her hand

"Hello, my name is Amelia, and I will be your personal attendant today."

Draco shook her hand and smiled

"Thank you, Amelia. I am Draco Malfoy and this lovely lady is Hermione Granger," he said, introducing his companion.

Amelia shook the hands, looking impressed. They had very aristocratic names, and that was always a good sign in retail.

"Your private showroom is prepared, and the latest collections should be brought there. Follow me, please."

Draco smiled, offering Hermione his arm. She was feeling giddy now, this was a kind of adventure she had not expected. Then, of course, her practical brain lifted its hand and she had to ask in his ear

"Are you sure you have enough Muggle money with you? this is going to be quite expensive."

He shrugged and pulled something from his pocket

"Gringotts issued me this, I haven't used it yet, what do you think?"

She looked at the object in his hand. It was the famous Titanium Black Card that only the super-rich Muggles get. She cracked laughing.

"I can't believe Gringotts issues those. And I think I feel better about this little shopping trip now."

He smirked and winked at her, putting the card back in his pocket. They reached the private room. She hadn't felt so excited since Professor McGonagall had walked into her house with her Hogwarts letter. And it was not about the clothes or whatever material things she was going to get from this. It was him. His lightheartedness, his flirtatious attitude, the desire to just be there, with her. It was an intoxicating feeling.

The room had a beautiful couch with ottomans in front, two little dressing rooms, a small table where a chilled bottle of champagne was waiting and mirrors everywhere. Draco immediately opened the champagne, poured two glasses and gave one to Hermione, then he toasted

"To life, and new beginnings."

She smiled

"Life and new beginnings."

Two employees walked in rolling a large rolling clothes rack. Hermione looked at it and tilted her head like a dog. It was the most perfect collection of clothes she had ever seen. She looked at Amelia, who gave her a proud smile

"I'm very good at my job dear. I picked these according to your skin and hair tones, your size and what I can perceive of your attitude and style. You are a practical person; dare I say you are quite intelligent?" the woman ventured.

She gaped and blinked but Draco answered

"She's quite brilliant. We went to boarding school together, I still resent her for beating me up in every single subject, except quid… athletics," he said, catching the slip of the tongue and smirking.

Amelia gave them both a knowing smile. She had seen many couples in this room. She knew a gold digger when she saw one, and she knew an honest woman when she saw one. She also knew a man in love when she saw one. Or more precisely, in this case, a man about to fall down the rabbit hole. Rich men sometimes didn't know they were falling until they were at the bottom of the ocean. But something told her that this girl was a fairy tale mermaid, and she could bring him back up to the surface and take him all the way to the shore.


	7. We're half way there

Amelia hang robes inside both dressing rooms. In her experience, it was possible that this young man would try some things for himself.

"Go ahead, dear. You would feel much more in the mood to try on things if you get off those clothes and get comfortable on that robe. Let the body breathe, get relaxed before we start with some outfits."

Hermione blushed, suddenly this felt like a very intimate experience. Draco caught her gestures and immediately said

"Amelia, would you mind choosing a few pieces for me too? This is much more fun as a team exercise. And it would be lovely if we can get some strawberries for the champagne, thank you."

Amelia smiled knowingly and left the room. Draco raised his glass to clink with Hermione.

"Let's do this right. Bottoms up."

They downed their champagne flutes and went into the dressing rooms. He walked out wearing the robe and sat back on the couch. She was hesitant.

"Come on, Hermione, let's get this party started. Come, sit here."

She picked out of the dressing room and saw him sitting comfortably, like he was in his own house, dressed only in an elegant dark silk robe. He was a vision. Suddenly her embarrassment got overthrown by the need to sit next to that man. She walked out wearing a salmon-colored robe that fitted her better than any dress she had. He smiled widely.

"I think you should take that, he said, offering her another flute.

She smiled and sat next to him. He brought a strawberry to her lips and she took it, washing it down with some champagne. It felt salacious and forbidden and all very exciting. She returned the gesture and when she brought the strawberry to his mouth he took it slowly and purposely closed his mouth around her fingers. She felt a shiver down her spine and a desperate need to kiss him. At that moment the employees brought a smaller rolling rack with clothes for him. Amelia got down to business.

"Oh, aren't you two lovely. Come on, dear, let's start with a few things for you. is time to give this gentleman a little show."

Hermione felt the flush on her face again but Draco winked at her and offered his hand, so she took a deep breath, then stood and went inside the dressing room. There was a very nice outfit hanging there and next to it, a fabulous piece of lingerie.

"Hum, excuse me, Amelia, these pieces here are… intimates."

Draco covered his mouth with his hand, his mind now racing a thousand kilometers an hour, but Amelia simply answered

"Every outfit requires the perfect fit of undergarments, and those are perfect for that one."

Hermione sigh. This was all new, but the woman seemed to be so on point that she went for it. She put on both under and outer garments and shoes and walked out. Draco gaped. She looked stunning. It was a set of work clothes but the trousers fitted her butt perfectly and the blouse made her bosom look fantastic.

"Well?" she asked, twirling a couple of times.

He just nodded, enthusiastically. She went back in and tried a couple of more outfits, all of them perfect. But now she wanted a break.

"Your turn, Mr. Malfoy, she said, taking a sit and accepting the flute one more time. Amelia, did you brought any denims for the gentleman?"

He looked at her, confused, but Amelia simply took a pair of low riders from the rack and gave it to him, along with a button up shirt, then suggested

"It would be better if you do not button the shirt until we see the fit of the denim." Then she turned and winked to Hermione, who covered her giggles with her hand.


	8. Hungry Eyes

"This cannot be really what wiz…men use to walk around!" Draco spoke loudly from the dressing room. "My underwear is all out."

Hermione grabbed one of the couches throw pillows to muffle her laughter, but Amelia smirked and said

"Perhaps you would like to try commando?"

"What is that?"

By now Hermione was crouching on the couch, face buried in the pillow, unable to catch her breath.

"It means you do not require undergarments to wear those, dear," Amelia said, impassive.

"That is barbaric!" he almost shouted. Hermione finally let go of the pillow.

"Just try it, Draco. This is an adventure, remember?" and she went back to covering her face with the pillow to muffle her nervous laughter.

"Fine."

He walked out of the dressing room. As instructed, he left his shirt unbuttoned and wore the lowriders commando. He looked at Hermione.

"You can't be serious about these."

She froze. She was enthralled. The perfect chest, the chiseled abs, the v line that went into the denims like an invitation to look down…

"Hermione!"

"What? Oh, I, yes, definitely. Yup," was all she could come up with.

Amelia saw the scene and quickly excused herself.

"Is this really what Muggle men walk around in?" he said, coming to stand right in front of her. From her vantage point sitting on the couch, this was the most arousing view of a man she had ever had. She looked up at him, her eyes now darken

"Yup. And also keep in mind that your shirt will be buttoned up."

"And is just like this, no undergarments?"

"That is up to you, with the shirt buttoned up it wouldn't matter either way, but going commando has its advantages," she said with a malicious smirk. The champagne was really helping here.

He looked at himself in one of the side mirrors and comprehension finally dawn on him. He saw the whole picture. He was standing there, wearing an unbuttoned shirt and these…suggestive bottoms, while Hermione was sitting in front of him on the elegant couch, leaning towards him, wearing nothing but a silky robe and looking intently at what was right in front of her. He decided right there that this was the life that he wanted. He wanted this scene to happen over and over again, he wanted to come home to this. He didn't know if he deserved it. If he deserved any of it. The woman, the feeling, the fulfillment. The promise of love and pleasure. Maybe he didn't deserve it, but he'll be damned if he didn't try. He reached and caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, then moved a curl behind her ear, that immediately bounced back. He smiled, feeling a surge of something that felt very close to adoration.

"You are the expert in all things Muggle. I think I will take your advice," he said and walked back into the dressing room. He took a quick look at the next set outfits and decided to just take them all.

Hermione sat there, still mesmerized by the whole situation. But then again, as unexpected as this was, right now she felt exhilarated, and above all, happy. She stood up and went to the dressing room to try on one more outfit. Once again, it looked great, but she decided not to go out wearing it.

"What's holding you up, love?" asked Draco, who was apparently back on the couch.

"Just a second," she said and looked at herself in the mirror. She had stripped the outer clothes but still had on the assigned undergarments, a beautiful set of 1950's inspired girdle and longline bra. For modern standards, she was completely covered, yet again, it was definitely lingerie. She took a deep breath and decided to be bold for once. And three glasses of champagne were more than enough liquid courage.

"Do you think I should take these sets too?" she asked in an innocent tone and walked out of the dressing room. If she thought she was the only one being suggestive, she was wrong.

Draco gave her a wolfish look and a devilish smile. He was sitting on the couch, leaning back, one arm on the back of the couch, the other hand holding his flute, still wearing the lowriders and open shirt. When their eyes met they knew they were on the same page.


	9. Go ahead, jump

"Amelia, I think we are done here. We'll take the lot," said Draco, eyes fixed on Hermione. He only tore them apart to reach for his trousers' pocket and give the older woman his Black Card.

Amelia smiled and nodded, and her helpers rolled the clothing racks out of the room. Draco offered his hand for the gorgeous witch in front of him to sit down. She smiled and sat, side saddled, next to him. She reached over him to get her flute. He stared, unable to rip his eyes from the beautiful pieces she was wearing. She took a sip of her drink and smiled sweetly. He reached and wrapped his fingers on her curls, then asked

"Tell me what I need to do."

"What you need to do for what?"

He pulled her closer, so she leaned her head on his shoulder. He spoke into her hair, breathing the sweet smell of her shampoo.

"Tell me what I need to do to have this every day. To have a life that feels like this. Tell me what I need to do to come home to this. I don't want to go back to yesterday. To feel lost and empty. I don't want to go back to the void where you found me. Please, Hermione, tell me what it will take to make this my life."

She lifted her gaze to find his grey eyes looking at her intently, pleading, begging for something that he did not dare to put into words.

"Well, Draco, this was fun but…"

He felt his breath caught in his throat, and for a second his heart was being ripped off his chest, her words suddenly sounding more distant

"but money can't buy happiness. This was a lot of fun, but can you be this man without having to slide a Black Card?"

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Can we be this, even if is just the two of us? Without having a battalion of people tending to our every need? Can we be this when is not all about fun?"

He shook his head, incredulous.

"Hermione, yesterday I was a mess. You had to cast a privacy charm around me so people wouldn't see me fall to pieces. And you took care of me and sent me home. And the only thing that felt wrong about it was that this morning I desperately wished that instead of sending me home you would have taken me home. Yesterday my pain was all over the place, drowning me. This morning, there was only one deep stab of pain, and it was here," he said, taking her hand and putting it over his heart. "It was the pain of waking up alone, knowing that there was someone out there who made the pain go away just because she existed."

She felt strange like something clicked inside of her and her usually convoluted mind found a way to align her thoughts and opened a path for something new. For once in her life, her logic, her instincts, and her magic got in line and she knew what she had to say next

"Come home with me."

He leaned in and pillowed a soft kiss on her lips, holding her close and pressing her hand tighter against his chest, which she now remembered, was very much bare. They kissed softly and sensually for a while until they heard Amelia walk back in.

Hermione blushed but smiled, and ran back to the dressing room while she heard him speak

"Let's just wear these outfits, shall we love?" he said, buttoning down the shirt. Maybe they could continue this conversation in another, more private couch. Inside the dressing room, Hermione chuckled. Amelia came to sit next to Draco, handing him back the card, while she said in his ear

"She's going to make you very happy. But you better hop to it. Don't give her time to think. Girls like that are very rare and you don't want her getting scooped away by some actor or a famous athlete."

Draco had a flashback of Hermione walking into the Great Hall at Hogwarts escorted by Viktor Krum and his blood boiled.


	10. You know, She's a little bit dangerous

Amelia shook Draco's hand and then embraced Hermione in a hug, speaking in her ear

"He is a keeper. Don't overthink it."

Hermione looked at her, bemused. Was this woman really a Muggle? Because she almost acted like a Legilimans.

The couple held hands and walked towards the exit, where the employees were loading their bags on the trunk of a Limo, courtesy of the store. Hermione gave the driver her address, which was in a muggle building close to Wizarding London. The driver nodded and then put up the black partition. Draco and Hermione were in each other's arms in half a second, mouths devouring each other, hands everywhere, accidental love bites, purposeful love bites, hair ruffled up, body parts clumsily tossed from side to side with each turn of the car, stiletto heels pinching at the wrong time, and finally a graceless splat on the Limo floor when the driver hit on the breaks because he almost missed the address.

"Ouch! These muggle transportation methods are a menace," said Draco between laughs, rubbing his head.

"To be fair, we were supposed to be sitting primly and have our seat belts on," answered Hermione, chuckling and taking his offered hand to get back on the seat just in time before the diligent driver opened the door for them. They both faked nonchalance when they walked by the nice man, smiling like they didn't look like chickens caught on a windstorm.

Draco discreetly put a weightless charm on the bags and followed Hermione into the building, waiting impatiently for her to undo all the muggle locking contraptions plus the magical wards. As soon as they were inside he dropped the bags and enveloped her again, resuming what they had been doing on the ride home.

Hermione tried to stop it, or better, tried to stop her self from wanting this so much. But that was a lost battle. What was she fighting anyways? In the end, there were only two risks: alienation by those who loved her and getting her heart crushed by Draco Malfoy. Those who loved her would want her to be happy, so they would have to accept her decisions. Even if it was an impulsive, incomprehensible, bizarre decision, like falling for her archenemy. And as for getting her heart crushed by said archenemy…well, that would be brutal, but at this point, walking away would be equally painful. Screw it. She had Amelia's blessing. And if that woman could see enough of her to pick a whole season wardrobe after looking at her for two minutes, there must be something to her word. That'll do.

"Hermione?"

"Hm?"

"Are you with me?"

She shook her head, embarrassed

"Sorry, yes, I'm just, I'm…"

"Overthinking this whole I'm alone and halfway undressed with a known Death Eater that made my school years miserable?" he said with a sad smile and a pained look in his grey eyes.

She looked at him and the stab of his pain cracked open what was left of her shell. She reached to slowly undo the buttons of his shirt

"I sort of was. But then again, if we are talking about dangerous people, let's not forget that I'm the one who has actually punch you in the face before," she said, pulling him by the collar to kiss him again.

He chuckled and answered between kisses

"You have hit me,"

*kiss*

"called me called me a cockroach"

*kiss*

"made me cry in public"

*kiss*

"and yet here I am, begging you to not let go," he said, picking her up bridal style while she pointed him to the bedroom.

Their lives had changed exactly 24 hours ago, and it all started with a fateful encounter behind the shelves of an old bookstore.


	11. Thank You for Being a Friend

"I'm sure it's fine, Pansy, just come out so I can see it, please?" Hermione begged from outside the little changing room at Madam Malkin's Couture.

"Don't rush me, missy, you may be the centerpiece of this wedding, but I'm the embellishment. So sit tight and let me do my thing."

Hermione flopped backward on the big ottoman she was sitting on. She was exhausted. They had spent the whole day shopping for flowers, tasting cakes, figuring out a menu and finally, trying on gowns and shoes. Hermione was never the kind of girl to do these type of things, but her new friend's enthusiasm was contagious, and she deeply appreciated the Slytherin girl's unconditional support.

After a whirlwind romance that had raised lots of eyebrows and had all wizarding papers and magazines on a riot, Hermione Granger was marrying Draco Malfoy after only three months of courting. They had bumped into each other at a bookstore and things had moved incredibly fast from there. That very first day Hermione had taken him to a little cafe and cracked him open like an egg. He had spilled out all of his pain, his fear, his resentments and after the last drop had emptied he found himself desperate to fill the void with new and pure feelings. And she had obliged. She was tired of the war, the aftermath, the politics, the way everybody seemed to have an opinion about what the Golden Girl should do with her life without any consideration for her feelings, her needs or her desires. So in an unexpected act of rebellion, the Gryffindor Princess let herself fall in the arms of the fallen Slytherin Prince and neither of them looked back.

The people that had supported their decision could be counted with fingers, but they were the most important people in their lives. Harry Potter, who had been outraged for about two days, until he realized that his best friend was smiling again, an open, warm smile like he had not seen since they were children. Having gone through a short, failed marriage that he got into because it was expected of him to do so, he was now more than happy to support Hermione's desire to choose her own path. He even formed an unforeseen bond with Draco, who paradoxically had filled the void caused by the estrangement between him and Ron that followed his divorce. George Weasley was genuinely happy for them, despite the fact that his family's reactions ranged from cautious acceptance to full on aggravation. Andromeda Tonks was happy to see her nephew make the right choices, and she had reconnected with her sister Narcissa, who was elated, as she had been sure that her husband's actions and her own had condemned her son to a life of misery. And finally, Pansy Parkinson, Draco's oldest and most trusted friend had not been surprised to hear that bleeding heart Hermione Granger had offered a helping hand to Draco, but the falling in love part had been a welcomed surprise. She had seen her friend consumed by regrets and had felt helpless about it for a long time. So when it became obvious that Draco was infatuated she offered Hermione her most sincere apologies for all the years of bad blood and her friendship, which also came at a great time, as now there was a big ridge between her and Ginny that would take time to heal. With Hermione's encouragement, Pansy had been able to heal her own regrets. She had written a long letter to Harry apologizing for the years of bullying and especially for the horrible thing she had said the night of the final battle, words that she had carried like a huge weight over her shoulders for years. A friendly correspondence had ensued after that, and though they had not seen each other yet, Pansy felt that she may be developing a little bit of a pen pal crush.


	12. Do you like what you see?

"Being a bride too exhausting?"

Hermione opened her eyes to see Harry Potter's green ones looking down at her, amused.

"You have no idea," she answered, still spread out on the ottoman, not caring anymore that she was in a public place.

Her best friend smiled and pushed her aside, then sat next to her. He lifted an arm where he was carrying a garment bag with a set of brand new dress robes.

"Well, at least you can rest assure that your bridesman is going to look sharp," he said, looking proud of himself.

Hermione laughed and sat up.

'Well then, that's one less thing for me to worry about, thank you," she said, kissing his cheek. Then she whispered in his ear "Now if I only could get the groomswoman to choose a dress I could finally get out of here."

He chuckled, then realized he had not thought about who else was there. He vaguely remembered Hermione mentioning that Pansy Parkinson would be Draco's groomswoman, and since they would be seeing each other at the wedding the Slytherin girl had taken upon herself to make sure things would run smoothly on their friends' special day, so she wrote Harry an apology letter that had started an entertaining correspondence. He felt suddenly nervous, the last couple of exchanges had bordered on the flirtatious, but a letter was one thing and seeing the woman in person was a whole other deal. He didn't have time to react when the curtains of the little dressing room flapped

"Do you think these undergarments would work? The dress is very silky and I don't want any awkward lines ruining it," said a sexy female voice while the curtains opened in one sharp move.

Harry stopped breathing. A stunning witch was standing in front of him. Jet black hair cut in a long bob with straight bangs. Big dark eyes with long eyelashes, a perfect turned-up nose, plump red lips. Her bare arms were still holding the curtains apart, a satin plum colored chemise hugging every curve, from the perky breasts to the small waist and down to the round hips, where a matching garter belt with lacy suspenders held the black thigh high stockings. A pair of black high heel pumps made her legs look perfect.

Pansy was shocked for a second, she didn't realize that Hermione was not alone. Harry Potter was sitting on the ottoman in front of her, he had dropped the garment bag that he had in his arm and was gaping, unable to avert his eyes. The Slytherin girl recovered quickly, her face never betraying anything, then she looked at Hermione, who was covering her mouth with her hands, obviously trying to withhold a fit of giggles. Pansy smirked and lifted an eyebrow and slowly walked the few steps between her and Harry and stood in front of him, perfectly poised.

She stood there, one hand on her hip, the other reached towards the wizard that was looking straight in front of him, still paralyzed. She put a finger under his chin and lifted his face delicately.

"My eyes are up here, Potter," she said, her teasing was almost cruel.

"Hum, yeah, hum, hi Parkinson, hum, you look good," that and a silly smile was all he could put together.

She smiled, feeling a bit smug about having the upper hand in their first encounter, but also genuinely happy to see that she could cause that kind of reaction in him. It meant their whole interaction would now shift and the past would be the past. She looked at Hermione, who by now had grabbed a pillow and was choking her laughter with it, then looked back at Harry, moved the finger from the chin to caress his cheek with the back of it and finally poked his nose

"I think you like what you see," she said, then walked slowly back into the dressing room and closed the curtains.


	13. The Show Must Go On

Harry tried to recover his composure but it was a lost cause. Red and flustered, he awkwardly picked up the garment bag that he had dropped, then turned to look at Hermione, who was laughing but also had her hand by the side of her face, trying to cover her side view

"What?" He asked, starting to get upset about her laughter

"Can you please, hum, fix yourself?'

He looked down and to his utter horror noticed the unmistakable tent in his pants. He dropped the garment bag over his lap a bit too hard and winced in pain. Before Hermione could try to soothe his mortification Pansy called from the dressing room.

"Hermione, could you come in here, please? I need your opinion."

The curly witch took advantage of the situation, gave Harry an apologetic gesture and ran inside. Pansy cast a silencing charm and then round on Hermione, who leaned back at the scary look on the Slytherin's face

"When were you planning to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That your friend had changed his name from Harry Potter to Harry Hotter? When did the scrawny, specky git turn into… that?" she said, hand pointing towards the outside of the little dressing room.

Hermione exploded in laughter, taking full advantage of the silencing charm. Pansy looked like she was about to start shooting _Avadas_ from her eyes.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't know an explanation was required. I didn't think that his looks were going to cause any trouble. What can I say, he is an Auror, he works out a lot."

"Well, you could at least had warned me about the man bun. Do you know what man buns do to me?" she said pointing theatrically at herself

Hermione cackled some more

"Enlighten me please, what do man buns do to you?"

Pansy huffed

"Let's say is good that I was already gonna purchase these undergarments because now they are wet. Wet, Hermione, wet!" she said, punctuating the sentence with more exaggerated hand gestures.

Hermione had trouble breathing by now. During the last few weeks, she had learned about how funny and histrionic Pansy could be, but this one took the cake. She wiped tears from her eyes and answered

"Well, the good news is that is mutual. I don't know if any man could have resisted that little stunt that you pulled out there, but I'm thinking I should go back out there and check on Harry to make sure he didn't have a stroke."

Pansy's face softened and a small smile appeared

"I thought I may have made a fool of myself, his presence caught me off guard. I'm not an exhibitionist, you know?" she said, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Well, that was quite an entrance, I'll tell you that."

Pansy shrugged

"It would have been embarrassing if any other male friend had been there with you, but I saw him and I just, I don't know, I just had this need to put on a show, to impress him," then she looked at Hermione "what is wrong with me?"

Hermione took her hands reassuringly

"Nothing at all is wrong with you, you little cunning Slytherin, you went with your instinct and I have to tell you, it worked. He liked that little act way too much," she said, a mock shiver at the memory of noticing the party in her best friend's pants. Then she added

"Draco is joining us for dinner in a bit. Should I ask Harry to come too?"

Pansy bit her lip and smiled, nodding.


	14. The Games We Play

Harry had tried calling out for Hermione to say that he had to go, but it was obvious they had put on a silencing charm, and his friend would kill him if he just ran away on her. He was not going to get away easily, he would have to face his mortification. So he stood up, walked to the mirror on the closest wall and put himself together as good as he could. He made sure his jeans looked settled, thinking that maybe his habit of wearing them commando was not always for the best, then rearranged the bun on his hair and finally looked at his t-shirt and waved his wand over it to get rid of any possible stains or loose threads. Then he gazed around to make sure no one was watching, looked at himself in the mirror and used a quick tailoring charm to make his form-fitting t-shirt a bit tighter. Hermione's voice startled him and he turned around, hiding his wand behind his back like a child caught with his hands on the cookie jar.

"Harry? There you are! Join us for dinner? Draco should already be waiting for us at the restaurant, is just across from here."

"Sure," he said, smiling wide. He had put himself together just to try to fix the first impression that Pansy got of him -that he was an ogling, drooling moron- but maybe now he could do a bit more than that. When Pansy walked out of the dressing room she was back to her poised self and said to them

"I'm going to ask them to deliver the stuff we bought so we can go to dinner freely," she said like she had not put on a peep show only moments ago. When she walked toward the store counter Hermione said in Harry's ear

"She is something. Maybe you should get to know her better."

He blushed but only offered his arm to Hermione, then walked to the counter and when Pansy turned offered her the other arm, which she took with a sweet, almost coy smile. How did she manage to be sweet and spicy at the same time, he didn't understand yet. But he wanted to find out.

"Didn't take you for a man about town, Potter," said Draco with a hint of jealousy when he saw the broad-shouldered auror walk into the restaurant, laughing, one gorgeous witch on each arm.

"I wouldn't call myself that, considering that this one is yours, he said extending the arm with Hermione on it towards him.

The couple embraced and kissed for longer than it was appropriate for the public location. Pansy saw Harry open his mouth to make a cheeky remark and tried to stop him by pulling his arm, but the words were already blurting out

"Oi! Get a room or move on!"

Pansy rolled her eyes but chuckled. So not Slytherin. She looked at him while gestured her hand towards Draco, waiting for the inevitable reply

"By all means, Potter let's all go get rooms, throw a log on that little fire there," he said, gesturing between Harry and Pansy, whose body languages were screaming the things that had not been said yet.

Harry blushed beet red, so Draco added in a mocking tone

"You have your work cut out for you, Pansy, that is if you are planning to teach this one the Slytherin ways."

Pansy gave Harry a contemplative look, then answered Draco without looking at him

"Actually, I think I like the Gryffindor boldness. Makes me wonder if it applies to everything."

Harry smirked and brought her hand to his lips. Two could play this game.


	15. Pimsy Knows Best

Hermione smiled at her best friend when she saw him pull out a chair for Pansy before sitting himself. He may not have the cunning ways of the Slytherins, but he did now have the manners of a princeling, thanks to the well-rounded Auror training that was now the norm. The war had made people wary of the Aurors, who were back then considered little more than manhunters, so the new training curriculum had tried to make them more approachable and trustworthy to the common wizarding citizen by softening their manners. Rumor had it that one too many times a lonely witch had made an unsubstantiated call just to have one of the young law officers come and be their knight in shining armor for a few moments. Harry had been relieved when he became Deputy Head of the department because he did not have to respond to those suspicious calls anymore. But now that etiquette training was serving him well, as the Slytherin Princess, herself a complex mix of sugar and spice, was now obviously captivated by the young Auror's mix of boldness and politeness. He offered her the drink menu and she waved it off

"Firewhisky on the rocks form me"

He smirked and added a neat one for himself. Draco and Hermione were taking their time with the wine list, so the two of them started a flirty conversation by picking up where they left on their correspondence, which had started with an apology but by now had developed into an exchange of innuendos. By the time their friends joined in Harry was wishing he could have taken Draco on his offer to get rooms. He brought up the wedding toping to try to move the conversation to a place that would get his head out of the gutter.

"So, did you girls finished up all the details today?" asked Draco

"We still need to see the caterer tomorrow to approve the meal courses," Pansy answered, making Hermione roll her eyes

"I can't do this anymore," then she turned to her fiance "baby please can we just elope? I don't want to deal with the caterer service, those elves were so uptight it was worst that Slughorn's parties."

They all laughed but Harry threw her a bone

"How about you let the bridesman and the groomswoman do that part? I don't mind tasting food."

Hermione beamed, and Pansy smiled but schooled her features before answering

"That would be great, Harry, that way the lovebirds can relax and enjoy the fact that they are getting married."

Draco wanted to make a dirty remark but Pansy shot him one of her _Avada_ looks and he decided to let it go. Hermione held a giggle, but Harry seemed unaware of the exchange. He was excited to have an excuse for a long date with Pansy.

They met the next day and walked together into the catering service location. They announced themselves as the bridal party for the Malfoy-Granger wedding and were taken to a private dining room. The tasting included not only the food but also they needed to choose the wine pairings, so Harry asked Pansy to be the one in charge of that part. She happily obliged and the tasting session turned into a long, indulgent afternoon. They sipped on excellent wines, fed each other exotic delicacies, laughed, flirted shamelessly and when Pansy excused herself to use the ladies room an young elf approached Harry and bowed.

"Pimsy is honored to meet you. Master Potter was Kreacher's last family member, yes?"

Harry smiled

"Yes, Kreacher stayed with me until he passed. I miss him."

The elf nodded

"Kreacher spoke highly of Master Potter, said Master is very kind. When yous gets marrieds Pimsy would be honored to become your family elf. Pimsy wants to be part of a family that brings many children, as yous would be."

Harry looked confused

"Thank you, Pimsy, but we are not the bride and groom. Miss Parkinson and I are just the bridal party."

Pimsy smiled mischievously

"Oh, but yous will be. Pimsy knows these things."

The elf popped away, leaving Harry stunned for a minute. Then a smile slowly grew on his face.


	16. Open Your Heart to Me

"What did I miss?" asked Pansy with a smile when she came back from the ladies' room.

Harry smiled brightly

"Well, one of the elves just made me a request for employment."

She gave him a confused look and he offered his hand instead of pulling her chair. She took it and he guided her delicately to sit on his lap.

"Apparently he wants to leave the catering business and join a family that plans on many children."

She looked even more astonished, and her face felt hot. She had always wanted a big family, and somehow she felt that she was the reason why the elf had made that random comment. Her Slytherin ways failed her and she couldn't school her face, so she tried to speak as calmly as possible to hide her embarrassment.

"That is interesting. Did you remind him that we are just the bridal party?"

He chuckled

"Yes, and he said he knew what he was talking about. His exact words were 'Pimsy knows these things'," he said imitating the elf's squeaky little voice.

Pansy laughed and slapped his arm playfully

"Harry don't be mean."

He smiled mischievously, took the offending hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss the palm, then the wrist and continued kissing his way up the forearm, guiding that arm to wrap around his neck, then caressed her face

"Actually, I believe that house-elves have some sort of legillimancy or aura reading power. They can see right through us," and he pulled her down for a kiss.

She felt like the whole world shifted and now all the pieces that had been floating around clicked right into place. She did not dare to speak her thoughts out loud but she hoped with all her heart that Harry was right and that the elf had seen right through them, all the way to a future that only weeks ago neither of them though could be an option.

They kissed sensually for a while; the elves were probably used to this kind of development and left them alone until Pansy said

"Remember that we are on duty here. We need to set up the menu for the wedding. Let's get that out of the way, shall we?"

He nodded and called out without getting his eyes off from her

"We are ready here"

A couple of elves popped in and they quickly got down to business, taking orders and organizing the progression of the courses. Pansy had tried to move to her seat but Harry had held her in place, and she managed to finish her duties despite the arousing feeling of his fingers tracing patterns over her skin.

When they were done one of the elves bowed and popped away but Pimsy lingered for one more minute, looked around and handed Harry a business card and said

"Pimsy would be honored to care for yous family. Yous children will be beautiful and Pimsy would raise them well," then he bowed low and popped away.

The couple looked at the card. It was just a simple gold background and in silver letters the word "Pimsy".

Pansy was thoroughly flustered and couldn't contain a fit of giggles

"A house elf with business cards. That's a new one. And I couldn't forget his name even if I wanted to."

Harry chuckled

"The card probably makes him feel fancy. And I think his little stunt granted him an interview, don't you think?"

She looked at him, biting her lip and smiling. Draco had told her that he made his mind about Hermione within 24 hours. Maybe for once, she could put aside the Slytherin games and follow her heart.


	17. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

A/N: As I mentioned in chapter 1, this whole story was inspired by my FF soul sister Elle311 and her one-shot Freed, so if you want to read the "wedding chapter" she was the one who wrote it, go check it out  s/13083448/1/Freed

In the meantime, here is something that was happening behind the scenes of that wedding.

The wedding had been beautiful, a small ceremony attended only by those supportive friends and loved ones that had opened their hearts to the possibility that miracles could happen. That two former rivals could fall in love. That second chances were worth a shot. That it is possible to see your whole world crumble around you and then raise from the ashes like a Phoenix and take flight once again.

A Phoenix. How's that for symbolism. For all of them. Harry twirled his wand in his hand. The wand with a Phoenix feather on the core. The wand that had chosen him. The wand that he had preferred even over the Elder Wand. Maybe he had chosen to stick with it because it was so similar to him. He had survived a killing curse when he was only a baby; he had escaped the cupboard under the stairs and flourished as a young wizard, then he had been hit with a killing curse again and once more risen. In many ways, he was like the Phoenix. And now maybe, just maybe, he had the chance to rise once again. To rise from the depths that no one knew he had fallen into. From the deep well of his loneliness. From the ashes of his broken heart.

If someone had told him three months ago that he would be feeling this way he would have rolled his eyes and call it well-wishing. If someone had told him who would make him feel this way, he probably would have thought that person needed to be committed. But then three months ago his best friend and his childhood archenemy did the bravest thing anyone could do: they bare themselves to each other, they put their hearts on silver platters to be either cherished or crushed and now he had just witnessed the miraculous healing power of love bring together those two souls because they were courageous enough to let it happen. Maybe it could happen to him too.

He had been sitting alone at the guest table after almost everyone else had left, and who knows how long he had been staring at his wand lost in thought when a delicate but intoxicating scent that was becoming familiar filled his nostrils and made him smile.

"Knut for your thoughts"

He lifted his gaze to the perfect pair of legs that were sitting on the table in front of him and smiled sweetly. In a sensual move that he would not have dared to make only weeks ago, he reached for one delicate ankle and started tracing patterns with his fingers around the calf and then kept exploring up toward the thigh. Without lifting his eyes he asked

"Do you think we could all get to have a second chance? To build the life that we want? The life that we deserve, not the one we were assumed to have?

Pansy smiled and hop off the table, waving her wand to cast a disillusionment charm in case someone came back, then lifted the skirt of her dress and straddled him, cupping his face

"After witnessing this wedding, I think I do," she said and pillowed her lips on his.

He wrapped her tight in his arms and deepened the kiss, feeling bare, open, brave, ready to leap once more, hoping that this could be his forever.


	18. Epilogue: Endless Miracles

"Hey, Mate."

Harry put down the seeker gloves he was looking at and turned around to the sound of the familiar voice and smiled

"Hey Ron"

The redheaded wizard approached cautiously, his hand scratching the back of his neck in an obvious gesture of discomfort. Harry's heart warmed up. The two of them had a rift over a year ago after the whole debacle of him and Ginny's shotgun wedding and almost immediate divorce. Ron had taken a protective stance next to his sister, which was understandable, but then had thrown a full on fit when he found out about Hermione and Draco, yelling about betrayal and two-faced friends.

But now the estranged friend was standing in front of him, his heart obviously on his sleeve. Harry couldn't help but smiled. Ron hadn't even cut off his hair. They had started growing it together when the freckled wizard had decided that he needed to change his mojo after his relationship with Hermione lasted only a month and was followed by a tempestuous year of coming and going with Lavender Brown, who had finally seen clearly and dumped him for a Hufflepuff that had pinned after her forever. Harry thought that his friend wore the man bun even better than he did, after all, Weasleys were known for being great at it.

"So, you and Parkinson, eh?"

Harry smiled widely and nodded

"Very much so."

Ron smiled back.

"I saw Hermione and Malfoy the other day, they seemed so happy it was almost disgusting. Are you disgustingly happy too, mate?"

Harry laughed

"I am. And I would very much like it if you get to know Pansy. Obviously, a lot has changed since school and she is something. In fact, I'm meeting her in a few minutes for lunch, why don't you join us?"

Ron accepted happily and the two wizards walked down Diagon Alley just like old times, laughing and catching up until they got to the restaurant. Pansy beamed when she saw her gorgeous fiance and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him excitedly, not registering that he was not alone. Harry lifted her off the ground for a second, then put her down and said

"Babe, you remember Ron Weasley of course?"

Pansy looked, her cheeks blushing a bit.

"Of course, hey Weasley," she said offering her hand

"Call me Ron," he said, giving her hand a friendly squeeze. "Harry said it was ok if I joined you for lunch."

"Of course. Actually, I brought a guest too, I bumped into Daphne Greengrass at the store," she said, pointing to the gorgeous blonde that had just come from powdering her nose. "Daph, you remember Ronald Weasley from school?"

Daphne smiled and offered her hand "I do remember, how are you, Weasley?"

Ron looked like he had been hit with a stunning spell, but managed to take the hand and bring it to his lips. Harry watched as they exchanged greetings and the redhead seemed to stand taller before offering his arm to the beautiful blond, who turned to greet the dark-haired wizard

"Hi, Harry."

"Hey Daph," he said, kissing her cheek and taking a step back to look at his friends again. He had a good feeling about this.

Meanwhile, in a town a portkey away, Draco Malfoy was at the donors' box of the Holyhead Harpies stadium picking up drinks at the bar during the pregame when a small hand touched his arm.

"Malfoy"

He turned to find Ginny Weasley, already wearing her uniform, ready for the game.

"Ginny. Hi," he said, a bit stunned.

"I assumed you would be here, being the playoffs and all. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. I assume I should not offer you a drink?"

She laughed

"Obviously not, she said gesturing towards her uniform. I just wanted to ask a favor."

"You want to get in touch with Hermione."

The redhead witch's eyes pooled with tears

"I miss her so much. Do you think she would want to hear me out, patch things up?"

In a move that Ginny was not expecting, Draco enveloped her in his arms

"Of course she will. It will make her very happy." Then he pulled back a bit "you do know about Harry, of course?"

She nodded

"Yes, and I am happy for him, really. We both made a mistake and I'm way over it. I just want my friends back. And maybe you could introduce me to one of your friends," she said coquettishly.

At that moment someone patted Draco in the back

"Sorry I'm late, mate. Oh, pardon me, I didn't see you were busy."

Draco grinned widely

"Blaise Zabini, you remember Ginny Weasley of course?"

The handsome Italian put himself between Draco and Ginny, grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Miss Weasley. I am a huge fan. I have your poster in my room."

The Gryffindor girl laughed, blushing.

"Call me Ginny."


End file.
